VACC receives SC documents for Sereno impeach rap

MANILA� The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. (VPCI) on Thursday received the records from the Supreme Court (SC) in support to the impeachment complaint they filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

VACC founding chair Dante Jimenez personally received the documents he earlier requested from the SC Clerk of Court after the high court granted their request at last Tuesday's regular en banc session of the magistrates.

(I) thank the SC from the bottom of my heart, for being very transparent to us victims of heinous crimes and corruption because we feel that the SC has now shown their transparency in this matter, Jimenez told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

The SC, in an en banc session last August 8, granted the release of documents, except the copy of the Memorandum dated July 10, 2017 issued by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro asking for a review of Sereno's administrative orders regarding the appointment of Atty. Brenda Jay Mendoza as chief of the Philippine Mediation Center Office by mere memorandum which was not referred to the Court en banc for its consideration.

SC approved the groups' requests for certified copies of the following documents:

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio's letter on the withdrawal of his signature in the appointment of Atty. Solomon Lumba as Chief Justice Staff Head II

Memorandum to the Court en banc dated December 2012 of Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro seeking the recall of honorable Sereno's administrative order creating the new Judiciary Decentralized Office and re-opening the Regional Court Administration Office

En Banc Resolution creating the Needs Assessment Committee to determine the need to decentralize the functions of the Supreme Court in support of its power of administrative supervision over lower courts.

The memorandum also assails frequent foreign travels and grant of allowance to Atty. Maria Lourdes Oliveros and other Office of the Chief Justice staff purportedly with funding support for airfare, accommodation and other related travel expenses from the host organizers without Court en banc approval.

The VACC Chairman said that they will provided the documents to the House of Representatives (HoR) to support their complaint.

Jimenez admitted that their complaint has yet to be endorsed by a member of the HoR.

He insisted, however, that they remained unfazed despite the lack of endorsement.

"We have done our part. That's not my job as a citizen to beg (for an endorsement). We are also tax payers, mamayan kami. We have done our part now it is up to you guys at house of representative to do yours. You are our lawmakers. It has to be endorsed by congressmen that is the process, Jimenez explained.

A complaint filed by any citizen should get the endorsement of a sitting congressman before being referred to the House committee on justice for hearing.

Last Aug. 2, Jimenez led the filing of the impeachment bid against Sereno on the grounds of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

Jimenez noted in the complaint that Sereno culpably violated the Constitution for the following reasons:

issuing an administrative order creating the new Judiciary Decentralized Office (JDO) and re-opening the Regional Administration Office (RCAO) in Western Visayas in the absence of an authority from the Court en banc;

violating the constitutional provision that appointive government officials shall not hold another public post unless provided for by law, in appointing Atty. Solomon Lumba as her staff head. Lumba was a faculty member of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law when he was appointed as Chief Justice staff head;

appointing Atty. Brenda Jay Mendoza as Philippine Mediation Center Office Chief by mere memorandum which was not referred to the court en banc for its consideration;

granting to members of her staff travel allowances for foreign travel charged to the Supreme Court funds without court en banc approval.

Sereno also betrayed public trust through inexcusable negligence, for sitting on the applications for the vacant posts in the Supreme Court.

Lawyer Larry Gadon was also set to file a separate impeachment complaint against Sereno, but decided first to gather more support from congressmen for endorsement.

He also filed before the SC last Tuesday his five-page letter was addressed to Atty. Felipa B. Anama of the Clerk of Court to also seek release of the court records for his complaint against the chief justice, including copies of her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth and her psychological records with the Judicial and Bar Council when she applied for chief justice in 2012.

Gadon also cited non declaration of her earnings from her stint as part of the government's legal team in the government case against the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (Piatco) where she acted as a legal researcher as another basis for filing the impeachment complaint againt the top magistrate.

Included in the documents Gadon is requesting for are psychological records of Ms. Sereno and materials pertaining to the request to purchase, bidding, procurement, and delivery of the Toyota Land Cruise that was allegedly for the chief justice.

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